War in the Pacific AAR Thread - ML vs JFranzen

[Molon Labe]

28 February 1944

Burma and Thailand
The Haruna and Kongo provided covering fire for enemy reinforcements landing at Prachuap Khiri Khan. I'd love to send another wave of dive bombers at these guys, but we haven't replenished our losses yet. A few more days.

13 P-47s swept Bangkok, opposed by 7 Georges and 5 Franks. With no losses, we bagged 5 Georges and 3 Franks. Not bad at all! 15 P-51s followed that up, but there were no enemy fighters left to play with.

B-24 raids caused 226 casualties outside Bangkok.

We've eliminated the remaining paratroopers at Mergui, 25 enemy casualties.


South China Sea
HMS Storm got caught transiting past Singapore towards Hong Kong and took moderate depth charge damage.


Japanese Home Waters
USS Sealion took light depth charge damaged after it got caught approaching an escorted cargo ship near Iwo Jima. Nearby, USS Sand Lance torpedoed a 3280-ton troop transport, very likely sinking it.


China
Air raids:
near Hwainan (ground forces): 70 casualties

Land combat:
near Kiukang, Allied deliberate attack, 77k vs. 29k troops, casualties 3742(J) to 2950(A). Lots more destroyed vs disabled units on our side though, so I'd call that a loss.


DEI
Air raids:
Surabaya (port and airbase): 1 port hit, 14 airbase hits, 5 casualties
Kendari (ground forces): 4 casualties


Philippines
Air raids:
Manila (port and airbase): 1 port hit, 1 hit on CL Yura, 17 airbase hits

Land combat:
We finally captured Iloilo. Casualties 485 to 50 favoring us. The enemy is still present but they no longer control the base.


Mariannas
I send the Yankee Butai to the seas northwest of the Mariannas, trying to time it to catch the convoys leaving and headed back towards Japan. As a plan B, I ordered a few squadrons to hit the ports in the Mariannas, hoping to catch a few stragglers or auxiliaries. We missed the convoys--they're gone. The port raids on Saipan and Tinian cost one SBD each and hit nothing of consequence. Avengers hit Guam, with a loss of one Avenger and slight damage to the port.

[Molon Labe]

29 February 1944

Philippines
USS Sea Rover was engaged by an ASW group in the Strait of Luzon but got away with only light damage. USS Bowfin found an unescorted AKL in the Strait and put her down with a Mk14.

Air raids:
Manila (airbase, port): 41 airbase hits, 4 port hits, 2 hits on CL Yura.

Land combat:
Iloilo: 319 casualties to 20 as mop up operations proceed.


Japanese Home Waters
Near Chichi-jima, USS Dragonet put two fish into a 7450-ton troop transport ship, leaving it burning at it limped away. Dragonet then took at shot at another unescorted transport but missed. USS Tambor found yet another transport (7470 tons) and hit it with 3 Mk14s for another kill. Dragonet then tracked down the transport it wounded earlier and put 4 more torpedoes into it, sending it down with plenty of overkill.


Burma and Thailand
We swept Bangkok with 16 P-47s, which were met by 8 Georges and 8 Franks, shooting down 4 Franks and 2 of the Georges with no losses.

I also bombed the beachead at Prachuap Khiri Khan knowing that the KB would be providing cover there and I'd be able to wear it down a bit. The raid was 15 P-38s with 24 B-24s, and we were opposed by 74 Zeroes, 2 Georges, and 2 Franks. We lost 3 P-38s and 3 B-24s while shooting down 6 Zeroes and 1 George. 11 enemy casualties were reported on the ground.

I attacked Bangkok's airbase with 22 B-24s, scoring 15 hits and destroying a George on the ground.

The enemy troops attempted a shock attack at Prachuap Khiri Khan, suffering 432 casualties to our 82. They are highly disrupted from landing under fire and bombing and weren't organized enough for an effective attack.


DEI
Air raids:
Surabaya (port and airbase): 2 port hits, 11 airbase hits
Kendari (ground forces) 55 casualties


Reinforcements
SS Plaice arrives at Balboa
VP-21 arrives at Eastern USA
VP-23 arrives at San Diego
I/14th Army RIASC Base Force arrives at Madras

[Molon Labe]

1 March 1944

Burma and Thailand
Light cruisers and destroyers attempted to shell our troops in Bangkok; it was ineffective.

Enemy troops and/or equipment is still being landed at Prachuap Khiri Khan

Our sweep of Bangkok was less effective today; 16 P-47s took on 5 Georges and 3 Franks, we lost 1 P-47s while shooting down just 2 Georges. A port attack by Wellington bombers followed; there were still 3 enemy fighters on CAP, which managed to shoot down 1 Wellington. The bombers failed to do any damage.


DEI
Air raids:
Surabaya (port and airbase): 1 port hit, 8 airbase hits
Kendari (ground forces): 4 casualties
near Palopo (ground forces) 43 casualties.

We have troops landing in Kolaka, which is nearby Kendari. Our troops have too many disabled units to appear all that combat effective though, so I'm waiting to bring some extra troops from the east side of Celebes before proceeding.


Philippines
Air raids:
Manila (airbase and port): 29 airbase hits, 1 hit on CL Yura.

Ground combat:
Iloilo mop-up deliberate attack; 156 (J) to 6(A) casualties


China
near Hwainan (ground forces) 10 casualties
near Kiukang (ground forces): 10 casualties--1 Wellington lost to flak

ground combat:
near Hwaianan, allied deliberate attack, 37k vs 455 troops, 371(J) to 26(A) casualties, enemy survivors retreating


Reinforcements
DE Weaver arrives at Los Angeles
AR Resource arrives at Aden
VB-137 arrives at Alameda
Thirteenth USAAF Engineer Aviation Battalion arrives at San Francisco
XIV Corps Artillery arrives at Pearl Harbor

[Molon Labe]

2 March 1944
Failed air raids in Bangkok, but KB being worn down again

Japanese Home Waters
USS Amberjack missed a great opportunity for glory near Naha, coming across IJN Katori and two cargo ships. She fired 4 torpedoes at Katori and missed. The presence of Katori I assume deterred a surface attack.

Meanwhile near Torishima, USS Golet was able to make a night surface attack on a cargo ship (6840 tons), hitting it with a torpedo as well as gunfire and sinking it.


Thailand and Burma
The sweep of Bangkok that's becoming routine was done by 15 P-47s, this time facing 55 Zeroes from the KB as well as 8 native Georges. One P-47 was lost, while we scored 5 Zeroes and a George. A sweep of 17 P-51s followed that, getting one George with a loss of 3 aircraft.

Prachuap Khiri Khan was attacked by 32 Sallies, causing 22 Allied casualties and disrupting us in the face of the enemy landings. We hit the beachhead with 17 B-24s with 5 reported casualties.

This was followed by an attempted low-level attack on the battleships Kongo and Haruna at Bangkok harbor by 16 Beaufighters. The KB contributed 40 Zeroes to that fight, although they had problems responding in time. Only 1 Zero and 1 Beaufighter went down in the air-to-air fight. Another Beau was lost to flak while attacking, but probably due to the intensity of the flak none of the other planes were able to score any hits. 12 B-25D1s arrived next for a skipbombing run, with 15 P-47 escorts that probably should have been with B-24s, but it worked out. We traded 1 P-47 and 1 B-25 for 2 Zeroes. Once again, the flak made it hard for the bombers to hit anything, but one of the B-25s managed to hit a cargo ship in the formation, setting it on fire.

The B-24s arrived next, 27 of them with 7 P-47s escorting. The KBs Zeroes plus 2 Georges were able to take down 2 P-47s and a B-24 while taking just one loss. But the bombers still caused significant damage, with 20 base hits and 1 George blown up on the ground.

The Beaufighter squadron attempted a second sortie with just 6 aircraft... a bad idea. 5 were lost, with nothing to show for it.

Overall, this was a very good turn for us around Bangkok. Our Vengeance dive bombers are ready to fly again tomorrow, and the ability of the KB to maintain a CAP, for both itself and the landing area, is being pressured by the constant raids. Their losses should be adding up and a lot of planes are going to be down for repairs.



China
Air raids:
Hwainan (ground forces): 42 casualties

Land combat:
near Kiukang: allied bombardment attack, casualties 88(J) to 39(A). It appears that the enemy here has been ordered to fall back to the east, presumably to protect Nanking.


DEI
Air raids:
Surabaya (airbase and port): 2 port hits, 27 airbase hits, 5 casualties
Kendari (ground forces): 0 casualties
near Palopo (ground forces): 36 casualties


Philippines
Air raids:
Manila (port and airbase): 34 airbase hits, 1 port hit, 1 hit on CL Yura, 1 hit on an AGP--likely sunk.

Ground combat:
Iloilo - Allied deliberate attack, 130 enemy casualties, 0 losses. Mop up continues...


Reinforcments
CL Gambia arrives at Auckland
VMSB-454 arrives at Santa Ana

[Molon Labe]

3 March 1944
USS Devilfish on eternal patrol; two enemy carriers disabled off Bangkok at the Kido Butai's fighters get overwhelmed by multiple attacks


Japanese Home Waters
USS Devilfish engaged a troop convoy passing between Okinawa and Daito Shoto, hitting a cargo ship with a single torpedo. The ship was badly damaged but looks like it will survive. After the attack, the convoy escorts managed to detect Devilfish. After connecting solidly with three depth charge patterns, Devilfish surfaced and ended up in a gun battle, during which it scored the first hit on a kaibokan. But eventually the escorts got dialed in and finished off Devilfish.

Devilfish's only confirmed kill during its career was the enemy submarine I-26, a sub previously damaged by US destroyers.


DEI
New Mexico and Arizona shelled Kendari, causing 58 casualties.
Air strikes:
Kendari (ground forces): 0 casualties
near Palopo (ground forces): 31 casualties


Strait of Malacca
HMS Clyde sustained moderate damage in a depth charge attack trying to transit back into the Indian Ocean.


Burma and Thailand
The enemy opened up today's air battles with a Sally raid on Prachuap Khiri Khan. We had 4 P-47s on CAP but they were overwhelmed by Zeroes that were also trying to secure that airspace. We took 46 casualties on the ground.

We hit Bangkok's troops with 16 Wellingtons next, which was unopposed but did no real damage. Next was a flight of 16 B-24s into Prachuap Khiri Khan with 4 P-47s escorting. 47 Zeroes were on patrol, and we lost 3 B-24s in the furball. 20 more B-24s then hit Bangkok's airbase, scoring 15 hits. Again, this was unopposed--the KB was only protecting Prachuap Khiri Khan at this point, where they were still landing troops.

And it was the KB that drew the next strikes. Coordination once again was an issue, with all 33 available Spitfire escorts from Tavoy escorting a single Vengeance squadron, and 2 other squadrons proceeding unescorted. Better than the other way around, I guess. Those 33 Spitfires took on 37 Zeroes and came out ahead, losing just 1 aircraft while shooting down 6 Zeroes. The bombers added a 7th. We suffered 6 bombers lost to the Zeroes with a 7th lost to flak. 10 bombers total made attacks split between Shokaku, Zuikaku, Hiyo, and Shinyo. The only hit was a smaller 250-pounder hitting Shinyo.
For the second wave, 17 Vengeances were met by 16 Zeroes. 6 of the bombers lost their nerve and turned around. The other 11 were splashed.
The third wave was 15 Vengeances facing 9 Zeroes. This raid suffered only 1 loss to the Zeroes and another lost to flak. But again, several gave up when they saw the Zeroes without friendly fighters around. Only 6 made attacks, and all missed.
The KBs luck at this point had run out. The next attack would come from 7 B-25Hs flying down from Moulmien making a low level attack. There were still 6 Zeroes left on patrol but they weren't in position to intercept this raid in time. Zuikaku took one hit, enough to start a fire. Shinyo took two, also starting fires and causing serious damage. And Hiyo took four, ending up severely damaged and becoming an inferno. Hiyo is almost certainly down. Shinyo is probably clinging to life.



Philippines
Air raids:
Manila (airbase and port): 4 port hits, 18 airbase hits, 1 Judy destroyed on the ground.


China
Land combat:
I sent a detachment of my Shanghai-bound armies to deal with troops on the road to Shanghai. That battle was 46k vs 7k, and we caused 3287 casualties vs 1138 taken... not great. Some, but not all, of the enemy retreated back to Shanghai.

near Kiukiang; allied bombardment attack, casualties 41(J) to 101(A)


Reinforcements
CV Hornet II arrives at Balboa
PF Barcoo arrives at Sydney
31st Infantry Division arrives at Eastern USA
XI Corps Artillery arrives at San Francisco

[Molon Labe]

4 March 1944

DEI
Helens from Java made a low altitude attack on our recently-captured base at Denspar. We aren't building here yet so this is of no concern. At worst we'll have to repair the airbase here when we do move in.

Allied raids:
Surabaya (airbase and port): 25 airbase hits with 1 Helen destroyed, 1 port hit
near Palopo: 15 casualties


Philippines
In the Luzon Strait, USS Flounder put a pair of Mk14s into a large tanker. Despite 1 torpedo being enough in most cases, this one got away.

An enemy PT squadron intercepted an amphibous task force headed for Legaspi, but was driven off by the escorts before they could fire any torpedoes. Several transports collided in the resulting chaos, though. One AKA is in need of serious repairs, and an LST had to be scuttled due to severe damage.

The landings at Legaspi proceeded thereafter with no enemy ground forces resisting.


Burma and Thailand
32 Sallies attacked our troops at Prachuap Khiri Khan. We only had 4 P-47s nearby and they all failed to intercept. 15 casualties. We followed that up with B-24 raids of our own; no casualties reported.

Other raids:
Bangkok (airbase): 35 hits

Land combat:
The enemy troops at Prachuap Khiri Khan attacked; casualties 265(J) to 150(A). Surprised we're holding out, we're outnumbered about 2 to 1 and have no engineers to build fortifications with.
Allied bombardment attack, Bangkok, casualties 140(J) to 71(A).


China
Air raids:
near Kiukiang (ground forces): 23 casualties
Takao (sweep): 9 Spitfires from Amoy took on a CAP of a whopping 60 fighters. We lost 3, shooting down 1 Nick and 1 George.

Land combat: We've captured Hwainan. Casualties 1566(J) to 8(A). This is part of a flanking and encirclement of the enemy forces adjacent to Kiukiang, or they could go straight to Nanking. Encircling will likel make more sense.

We've forced the last of the enemy units on the road to Shanghai to retreat. Casualties 477 to 31.

Allied Bombardment attack near Kiukang, casualties 32(J) to 45(A).


Reinforcements
CVE Savo Island arrives at Portland
DD Yarnall arrives at San Francisco
APA John Land arrives at Alameda
12th BG/82nd BS arrives at Aden
Lushai Brigade arrives at Madras

[Molon Labe]

5 March 1944
Kamikazes destroy CVE in massive air counteroffensive at Legaspi

Philippines
I had a surface combat task force of 1 CA and 9 DD patrolling between Cebu and Legaspi trying to prevent what happened yesterday. This morning, they spotted the enemy PTs before they could do any harm. 11 enemy boats were sunk with no damage to the US fleet.

PTs weren't the only small-ticket defense active around Legaspi. 4 enemy minisubs also approached the area, but all were spotted by destroyers screening the landing ships (or the surface combat task force) and easily sunk.

USS Rock was heavily damaged in a depth charge attack in the Luzon Strait and is headed to Hong Kong for repairs.

The major threat ended up being enemy air forces, which came as a little bit of a surprise because I had 2 of the 3 large airbases on Luzon under constant surveillance, and never detected an increase in present numbers of aircraft (and the day after this that 3rd one was also empty). Still, I wasn't caught completely unprepared, as the 'phibs had CVEs in company and land-based aircraft were providing additional cover. Altogether I had 78 Hellcats providing cover over the landing site when the first enemy raid hit us. It ended up being a turkey shoot, but we were eventually overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. It looks like altitude was a factor--none of the fighter squadrons that I had assigned to lower altitudes were covering the landing site.

Raid 1: High altitude, 8 Zeroes, 18 Georges, 14 Kates, 6 Jills. Losses: 7 Zeroes, 16 Georges, 14 Kates, 6 Jills; 0 Hellcats.

Raid 2: Low Altitude approach, 12 Zeroes, 8 Kates. Losses: 7 Zeroes, 8 Kates (2 to flak, the rest were kamikazes). All the Kates made it past the fighters. 1 Kate slammed into HMAS Canberra, and 2 more into the CVE USS Santee--triggering ammunition explosions and dooming the ship.

Raid 3: Low Altitude approach, 6 Kates. These planes slipped past the CAP. 1 was lost to flak, the rest made torpedo attacks against Canberra and Santee, putting two fish into Santee just to make absolutely sure it was going down.

Raid 4: Low Altitude approach, 9 Kates. 7 shot down by CAP, 2 attempted Kamikaze attacks on the CVE USS Corregidor but missed. How do you miss a ship that big? Probably due to flak damage sustained on the way, I'd guess.

Raid 5: High altitude, 9 Zeroes, 41 Georges, 5 Franks, 11 Frances. Losses: 2 Zeroes, 16 Georges, 3 Franks, and the first F6F Hellcat loss of the day (with the possible exception of any destroyed on the Santee's deck). All 11 Frances got through to make torpedo attacks, scoring a single hit on an LST, sinking it. 1 Frances was downed by flak after it released its torpedo.

Raid 6: High altitude, 19 Franks and 5 Judies. The CAP only shot down 3 Franks, while losing another 2 Hellcats. These Judies were kamizakes and tried to attack CVE Prince William and a transport, none hit.

Raid 7: 37 Judies, medium altitude. Our CAP should have torn these up, but we only had 19 planes in the air and they were all busy. 4 were shot down by flak. CVE Corregidor took 2 hits (enough to disable air ops) and an LSD took another.

Raid 8: 33 Georges with 12 Judies. Losses: 8 Georges, 3 F6Fs. 1 Judy lost to flak. Corregidor took another hit, and a cargo ship took two--enough to sink it.

Raid 9: 3 Kates, low altitude. Completely snuck in and fired 3 torpedoes at the burning Corregidor, but missed.

In the Sulu Sea, the Yankee Butai was spotted and drew some attention as well. 11 Zeroes and 7 Frances took on the CAP of 154 Hellcats. Only 2 Zeroes made it out of that fight, no Allied losses.




Other raids:
Manila (airbase): 11 Tojos and 3 Franks intercepted, but no air-to-air losses. 1 B-24 shot down by flak, 15 airbase hits with 1 George destroyed.

Land Combat:
Legaspi is officially in our hands. The enemy flew in a few troops but the resistance was token.



DEI
There was another Helen raid at Denpasar; 3 base hits.
Allied raids:
Kendari (ground forces): 0 casualties
near Palopo: 26 casualties
near Denpasar: 24 P-40N5s strafed a motor torpedo boat, causing moderate damage.


Burma and Thailand
Enemy raid on Prachuap Khiri Khan: 12 casualties. CAP again failed to intervene.
Allied raids
Prachuap Khiri Khan (ground forces): 6 casualties, 1 Tony shot down by B-24s.


Land combat:
Bangkok (ground forces) 7 casualties
Bangkok (airbase): 23 hits, 6 casualties



China
Air raids:
near Kiukiang (ground forces): 0 casualties
Land combat:
near Kiukiang, allied bombardment attack, casualties 24(J) to 72(A).

Land combat:
Prachuap Khiri Khan- Japanese deliberate attack, 4000 vs 2000 troops, casualties 114(J) vs 131(A).
Bangkok, allied bombardment attack, casualties 95(J) to 85(A)


Reinforcements
DE Darby arrives at Eastern USA
SS Queenfish arrives at Balboa
AO Nantahala arrives at Eastern USA
12th BG/81st BS arrives at Aden
462nd Parachute Field Artillery Battalion arrives at San Francisco
II/14th Army RIASC Base Force arrives at Calcutta
10th IAF Advanced Base Force arrives at Calcutta